Method and apparatus for generating voice guidance in a race vehicle

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for generating voice guidance in a race vehicle while the race vehicle is racing on a race track, comprises receiving, at a voice guidance system (VGS) from a data system (DS) of the race vehicle, status information regarding the race vehicle. Based on the status information, a guidance data for the race vehicle is determined at the VGS, and a voice data of the guidance data is communicated from the VGS to an audio actuator located in the race vehicle. The voice actuator annunciates a voice prompt based on the voice data in the race vehicle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/658,925 filed Oct. 21, 2019 which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 62/749,093 and 62/748,796,both filed on Oct. 22, 2018, and each of the above applications isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Field

The invention relates generally to a method and apparatus to assist arace vehicle driver, and more particularly, to generating voice guidancein the race vehicle when the race vehicle is racing on a race track.

Description of the Related Art

Vehicle racing is a popular activity, in which a vehicle races againstother similar or dissimilar vehicles, or against the clock. Racevehicles include cars, bikes, karts, drag race cars, trucks, boats,among others. In a race car, various performance information istypically available from a dashboard or from a pit crew member radioinginformation to the driver. In car diagnostic and performance data may bedisplayed on a dashboard display. However, to view the display, a driverof the race car must take his or her eyes off the track, shift gaze atthe display, and while driving at high speeds (typical in a racingenvironment), the driver is required to comprehend what is beingdisplayed, and act reasonably quickly. The amount of data to be absorbedby the driver can be overwhelming, and in general, the driver of a racevehicle is required to process a substantial amount of information whiledriving at high speeds. As such, most drivers select only critical datafor display, e.g., shift warning lights, high temperature warning, oilpressure warning, and so on.

Modern data acquisition systems (DAS) or data systems used in vehiclestoday are capable of extracting a wealth of information, however, suchinformation is not readily usable by the driver because the driver mustfocus on the racing and has a limited visual attention bandwidth todevote to the dashboard display of the vehicle.

Accordingly, there exists a need for improvement in the manner in whichrace vehicle information is presented to the driver of the race vehicleduring a race.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a method andapparatus for generating voice guidance in a race vehicle, substantiallyas shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of thefigures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

These and other features and advantages of the present disclosure may beappreciated from a review of the following detailed description of thepresent disclosure, along with the accompanying figures in which likereference numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above-recited features of the presentinvention can be understood in detail, a more particular description ofthe invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference toembodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Itis to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlytypical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to otherequally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a race car comprising an apparatus for generatingvoice guidance, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the apparatus of FIG. 1, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method for generating voice guidanceimplemented by the apparatus of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a race track showing voice guidance generated bythe apparatus of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, and the method of FIG. 3, accordingto an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention relate to method and apparatus forgenerating voice guidance in a race vehicle, while the race vehicle isracing on a race track. The apparatus comprises a voice guidance system(VGS) coupled to a data system (DS) of the race vehicle. The data systemincludes sensors and other equipment to measure various parameters ofthe race vehicle, for example, speed, acceleration, location, timeelapsed, g-force, steering angle, throttle position, brake position,brake displacement, temperature, pressure, aerodynamics, a state of theengine, driver performance data and other information concerning therace vehicle, while the race vehicle is racing on the race track. Thevoice guidance system (VGS) is configured to determine guidance databased on the parameter(s) obtained from the data system, race trackinformation, previous racing information of the race vehicle, previousracing information of a driver of the race vehicle. The voice guidancesystem may present any of this information and an audio announcement tothe driver via an audio actuator located in the racing vehicle, forexample, a speaker, an earphone or a headset.

Prior to beginning racing, the VGS is configured to generate voiceprompts for desired guidance. The VGS presents a list of selectableguidance options to a user configuring the VGS, for example, a driver ofthe race car, a coach of the driver, pit crew or other assistantpersonnel. For example, the VGS presents a selectable list of guidanceoptions in a user interface to the user. Based on the selectedguidance(s), when the racing vehicle is racing on the race track,relevant inputs from the information received from the data system areused by the VGS to generate a voice output in the race vehicle, therebyproviding the selected guidance to the driver.

For example, a race vehicle driver may request guidance by selecting tomonitor exit speed at the time the race vehicle exits a selected corner,or every corner of a race track. The VGS monitors for and receives, fromthe data system, the speed of the race vehicle and the location of therace vehicle (e.g. a corner, a turn-in or an exit). Based on themonitored inputs, the VGS determines the desired guidance, that is, thespeed of the race vehicle at an exit of a corner in the race track. TheVGS generates, based on the determined guidance, voice data which isthen used by an audio actuator to generate the corresponding voiceprompt. So, in this example, at the exit of the selected corner wherethe speed was 125 mph, the voice guidance system will announce the exitspeed, e.g., “125 miles per hour,” as the racing vehicle exits thecorner. With such real-time feedback, the driver can strive to improveperformance on each successive lap. As used herein, the term “real time”means as soon as possible given the processing constraints, unlessindicated otherwise. Further, the voice guidance system may store thereceived information for the driver to review after the driving session.In a similar manner, several other parameters may be monitored, thedesired guidance data generated, and announced as a voice prompt in theracing vehicle while the vehicle is racing on the race track. Thedesired guidance includes, but is not limited to, corner entry speed,lap time, engine oil pressure, coolant temperature, maximum speed,corner G-force, speed or RPMs at any point on the racetrack, amongothers.

For ease of explanation, the following embodiments are further explainedwith respect to an example of a race car, however, the present inventionand application thereof is not limited to a race car. In otherembodiments, the present invention includes methods and apparatusapplied to other race vehicles, including, but not limited to bikes,karts, drag race cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles, among others, andsuch embodiments would occur readily to those of ordinary skill as beingwithin the scope of the present invention. In general, any vehicle thatcan be adapted to race either against other vehicles, or against theclock, may find use for embodiments of the present invention describedherein.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a race car 10 comprising an apparatus100 for generating voice guidance in race vehicle, according to anembodiment of the invention. The race car 10 has a driver 20 driving thecar 10 on a race track (not shown in FIG. 1). The apparatus 100comprises a voice guidance system (VGS) 120, and an audio actuator 30located in the car 10 to be clearly audible to the driver 20. Forexample, the audio actuator 30 includes a speaker close to the driver,or an earphone/ear piece/headset worn by the driver, for example, withina helmet. A data system 110 of the race car 10 is communicably coupledto the VGS 120, and the VGS 120 is communicably coupled to the audioactuator 30.

In some embodiments, the apparatus 100 includes a dedicated audioactuator 30, for example earbuds, a headset, or a loudspeaker, which areseparate from any existing audio system present in the race vehicle. Insome embodiments, the apparatus 100 can be connected to the racevehicle's existing audio system via an audio bridging adapter or a ‘Y’cable, as generally known in the art. The existing audio systems mayusually include two-way radio in the car, for example, a headset in thedriver's helmet, to communicate with members of the racing crew whileracing in the race vehicle. Upon connecting with the apparatus 100, forexample, by using the headset of the existing audio system as the audioactuator 30, the voice commands generated by the apparatus 100 areconnected to a single headset in the driver's helmet. In this manner,the apparatus 100 and the existing two-way communication system are madecompatible, and can be used simultaneously. As an example of a race crewand the apparatus 100 configured to share the existing audio system(loudspeaker/headset/earbuds), a race crew member announces “GREEN” viathe existing audio system when the green flag waves to start the race,and on the same audio channel the apparatus 100 then announces“accelerate to 80 mph,” or another such voice guidance as may beconfigured in the apparatus 100.

In some embodiments, the data system 110 and the VGS 120 are separatesystems coupled communicably. In some embodiments, the data system 110and the VGS 120 are integrated into a single unit. If integrated into asingle unit, a portion of the unit forms the data system 110 and anotherportion of the same unit forms the VGS 120. Both systems may beintegrated onto a single circuit board or semiconductor chip set.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the apparatus 100 of FIG. 1, according toan embodiment of the invention. The data system 110, also referred to asvehicle data acquisition system, is well-known in the art, and generallycomprises several sensors for monitoring status of various parameters ofthe vehicle, for example, one or more of speed, acceleration, location,time elapsed, lateral g-force, linear g-force, steering angle, throttleposition, brake position, brake displacement, temperature, pressure,rotations per minute (RPM), aerodynamics, pitch, yaw, air to fuel ratio,shock absorber position, among various others as known in the art.

The VGS 120 comprises a CPU 122, support circuits 124 and a memory 126.The CPU 122 may be any commercially available processor, microprocessor,microcontroller, and the like. The support circuits 124 comprisewell-known circuits that provide functionality to the CPU such as a userinterface, clock circuits, network communications, cache, powersupplies, I/O circuits, and the like. In some embodiments, the userinterface comprises a keypad, electronic buttons, speaker, touchscreen,display, or other user interaction mechanism. The memory 126 may be anyform of digital storage used for storing data and executable software.Such memory includes, but is not limited to, random access memory, readonly memory, disk storage, optical storage, and the like. The memory 126stores computer readable instructions corresponding to an operatingsystem (not shown), a user interface module 128, a status informationstore 130, a location information store 132, a guidance module 134 and avoice generating module 136.

The user interface module 128 generates and provides a user interface(UI, not shown), such as a menu comprising a list of selectable guidanceoptions corresponding to available guidance, information or parametersabout the car, such as, weight of the car, wheelbase, tire width/height,among others. Prior to racing, a user (driver, coach, support staff) ofthe race car is presented the UI with the list of available guidanceoptions. The UI module 128 may interface with a laptop, tablet or otherform of computer to display the menus for manipulation by a user. Assuch, the computer is coupled to the module 128 via a USB or other datainterface. The user selects a desired guidance to be provided to thedriver as the car is driven on the race track. The guidance options maycomprise various guidance information useful for a race car driver, andincludes information derived from one or more parameters, such as thatreceived from the data system 110, for example, speed, acceleration,location, time elapsed, g-force, steering angle, throttle position,brake position, brake displacement, temperature, pressure, rotations perminute (RPM), aerodynamics, among several others as known in the art,for particular locations of the race track. In some embodiments, theguidance information includes information derived from two or moreparameters obtained from the data system 110. In this manner, the driverreceives specific guidance needed for improving performance and/orsafety while driving the race car on the race track.

The status information store 130 stores the status data of variousparameters of the car received from the data system 110, and otherguidance data derived from the parameters. The location informationstore 132 stores the location information of the car on the race trackat any given time. In some embodiments, the location of the car on therace track may be received from the data system 110, which includes alocation tracking system, for example, a global positioning system (GPS)system, and a map of the race track. In some embodiments, one or more ofthe location tracking system or the map of the race track is included inthe VGS 120. The data system 110 is typically set up to generate tablesof information regarding car and driver performance. The information iscommunicated in real-time to the VGS 120, where only a subset of theavailable information is selected (filtered), analyzed as needed, andannunciated to the driver.

The guidance module 134 receives the car status and the locationinformation, and based on the guidance established by the driver, theguidance module generates a voice data output, for example, using thevoice generating module 136. The voice data output is an audio outputwhich may be sent to an audio actuator for being announced to the driverin real-time, while the driver is driving the car. The guidance module134 may also store the guidance data in the status information store 128and the location information store 132, for later review, for example,by the driver or other users. The voice generating module 136 mayinclude pre-recorded audio corresponding to possible guidance alerts, ormay include a text-to-speech (TTS) engine to generate voice guidancefrom text provided by the data system 110.

In some embodiments, the guidance module 134 analyzes one or more of therace car parameter information provided by driver via the user interface(e.g., weight of the car, wheelbase, tire width/height, among others),or status data obtained from the data system 110 (e.g., lateral/linearg-force, pitch/yaw, mph, and throttle position). In some embodiments,the guidance module 134 analyzes at least two parameters from the racecar parameter information input, and the status data obtained from thedata system 110. Based on the analysis, the guidance module 134calculates optimal performance parameters if selected by the userinitially. For example, the guidance module 134 may calculate an optimumtraction circle for the race car, the optimal rate of increase of thethrottle, availability of more throttle, among other similar operationalcharacteristics of the race car. In some embodiments, the guidancemodule 134 learns when the race car is racing on the race track, forexample, using machine learning and/or artificial intelligencetechniques using one or more of statistical, mathematical orneural-network based models. In some embodiments, the guidance module134 uses the machine learning and/or artificial intelligence techniquesto analyze the data input by the driver via the UI, the car dataprovided by the data system 110, and based on the analysis, generates,voice guidance for the driver in real time, which is then announced tothe driver using the voice actuator 30. In this manner, the guidancemodule 134 is capable of processing data generating announcements basedon processed data values.

As an example, if a driver is learning to drive on a “Traction Circle,”the guidance module 134 analyzes the lateral/linear g-force, pitch/yaw,speed, and throttle position obtained from the race car data system 110;and weight of the car, wheelbase, tire width/height obtained via the UI.The guidance module 134 calculates in real time, for example, when thedriver is driving the car on a particular section of the track, what theoptimum traction circle for the car should be, what the rate of increaseof the throttle is, and calculates and announces if more throttle isavailable.

Embodiments described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2 depict a race car 10having a built-in data system 110, which interacts with the voiceguidance system 120. In some embodiments (not shown), one or morecomponents of the data system are included in the voice guidance system.For example, where the race car or another vehicle does not include adata system similar to the data system 110, the voice guidance system120 includes one or more components to accomplish functionalities of thedata system 110, such as acquiring operational and performance data ofthe vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method 200 for generating voice guidanceimplemented by the apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, according to anembodiment of the invention. The method 200 starts at step 202, andproceeds to step 204, at which, the VGS 120 presents a selectable listof available guidance data. For example, prior to beginning of a race, auser (e.g., driver, coach, pit staff) of the race vehicle, such as therace car 10, accesses the list using the VGS 120 (and/or a laptop/tablet(computer) connected thereto). The computer is disconnected from the VGS120 during use on the race track. The method 200 proceeds to step 206,at which the VGS 120 receives a selection of one or more desiredguidance data. For example, the user may select the desired guidancedata option(s) from the list of available guidance data options for therace vehicle, establishing the guidance desired by the driver. Theguidance options include, without limitation, entry or exit speed at aspecific location on the race track (for example, curved portions of thetrack), comparative information with previous racing performance(s),lateral or linear g-force at a specific location on the race track,speed through a section of the race track, minimum speed in a predefinedsegment of the track, instantaneous speed in a predefined segment, amongothers. As such, the guidance may include any number of parameters ofthe car, or a combination thereof, such as speeds at specific locations,time taken to traverse through a portion of the track, information ofcar's systems during specific portions of the track or after specifictime lapse, among several others as would be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art of car racing. The apparatus 100 is thereonconfigured for generating voice guidance in the race vehicle 10, whilethe race vehicle is racing on the race track, according the desiredguidance established at steps 204 and 206.

At step 208, the VGS 120 receives the status information of the racevehicle, for example, from the data system 110 of the race vehicle 10.At step 210, the VGS receives information on the race track, the racingperformance of the race vehicle in a previous race, or the racingperformance of a driver of the race vehicle in a previous race. In someembodiments, information received at step 210 is optional. In someembodiments, information received at step 210 is pre-stored in the VGS120. For example, the information about the race car 10 (e.g., weight ofthe car, wheelbase, tire width/height, among others), race track,previous racing performance of the race vehicle or the driver isprovided to the VGS 120 by the user prior to the racing.

At step 212, the VGS 120 determines the guidance, for example, asselected by the user at step 206, based on the status information of theparameters of the race vehicle, information about the race car, racetrack, or previous racing performance of the race vehicle and/or thedriver. For example, for guidance selection “entry or exit speed at aspecific location on the race track” (for example, curved portions ofthe track), the VGS 120 tracks the location of the race vehicle on therace track, and when the vehicle reaches the specified location on therace track, the VGS 120 determines the speed (received from the datasystem 110) at the specified location as the guidance data. The VGS 120converts the guidance data to voice data, for example, convertingtext-to-speech, or from a repository of pre-recorded voice promptscorresponding to possible guidance data.

For guidance selection “lateral or linear g-force at a specific locationon the race track,” the VGS 120 tracks the location of the race vehicleon the race track, and when the vehicle reaches the specified locationon the race track, the VGS 120 determines the g-force (received from thedata system 110) at the specified location as the guidance data. The VGS120 then converts the guidance data to voice data for announcement.

For guidance selection “comparative information with previous racingperformance(s),” the VGS 120 identifies a portion of the race track in aprevious performance of interest to the driver or other users, and thetime taken by the race vehicle to cover the portion. The VGS 120 thentracks the location of the race vehicle on the race track and identifiesthe time elapsed in covering the same portion of the race track.Thereafter, the VGS 120 calculates the difference between the times ofthe previous racing performance and the current performance of the racevehicle as measured by the data system 110. The calculated difference intime is determined as the guidance data, which is converted to voicedata for announcement. For example, a speed of 65 mph is set as areference value (for example, from a previous race, or otherwisepredefined) for a particular portion of the race track. The differencebetween the reference value and the speed attained in that portion ofthe race track is the guidance data, which is then converted to voicedata for announcement. If the speed attained is 68 mph, then theguidance data and the voice data correspond to an announcement of “PLUS3,” and if the speed attained is 64 mph, then the guidance data and thevoice data correspond to an announcement of “MINUS 1.”

For guidance selection “speed through a section of the race track,” theVGS 120 identifies the section of the race track using the start and endlocations of the section, and further tracks the elapsed time betweenwhen the race vehicle is at the start location of the section and theend location of the section. When the race vehicle reaches the endlocation of the section, the VGS 120 determines the elapsed time as theguidance data, which is converted to voice data for announcement.

In general, for guidance selection related to various parameters, theapparatus 100 starts tracking such parameters continuously upon entering(passing an entry point of) a predefined portion of the race track, tillthe race car exits (passes an exit point of) the predefined portion,where the location is tracked or defined using GPS or other similarlocation systems known in the art. In the example where the parameter isspeed, using the continuously tracked speed during the predefinedportion of the race track, the apparatus 100 can determine and announcea number of parameters, such as the minimum speed, maximum speed, entryspeed, exit speed, and the like. Similarly, the apparatus 100 is capableof processing parameters other than speed, including, but not limitedto, time, acceleration, g-force, among others.

At step 214, a voice output is generated in the race vehicle while thevehicle is racing on the race track. For example, the voice datagenerated by the VGS 120 based on the guidance data at step 212 is sentto the audio actuator 30, which plays or annunciates the voice data inthe race vehicle, such that the voice is audible to the driver of therace car. The voice output is commensurate with the requested guidance.For example, the voice output announces the status of specific guidanceoptions selected by the driver at step 206, such as speed at a specificlocation, g-force while negotiating a curve, maximum speed reached on aportion of a track, time taken to cover a portion of a track or anentire lap, among several others.

The method 200 then proceeds to step 216, at which the method 200 ends.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram 300 of examples of voice guidancegenerated by the apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 and the method ofFIG. 3, when the driver 20 drives the race car 10 on a race track 302,according to an embodiment of the invention. For example, the driver 20or a coach of the driver 20 selects various parameters for guidanceusing the user interface, and may select entry speed at A, exit speed atB, lap time at C, G-force reading at D, and lap time at E, which isestablished as the guidance requested from the apparatus 100. Thelocations A, B, C, D and E on the race track are selectable using theuser interface. The voice guidance system 120 receives the locationinformation on the track, and the car status information, for examplethe speed, the G-force, elapsed time, engine coolant temperature, engineoil pressure, and the like from the race car data system 110. Based onthe car location and the status information, the voice guidance systemgenerates voice prompts (audio data) at such points according to therequested guidance. Therefore, when the voice guidance system 120receives the information that the location of the car 10 corresponds toA, and that the car speed is 130 miles per hour, the voice guidancesystem generates an audio signal corresponding to “speed 130 miles perhour,” which is announced to the driver via the audio actuator 30, asshown by the callout marked by numeral 304.

Similarly, at location B, the voice guidance system 120 receives theinformation that the speed is 100 miles per hour, the voice guidancesystem 120 announces to the driver, via the audio actuator 30 “exitspeed 100 miles per hour,” as shown by the callout marked by numeral306. At location C, the voice guidance system 120 compares the elapsedtime for reaching location C from the START with a previous fastest runfor the same portion of the race track 302, and determines that thecurrent run is 0.5 seconds faster. Accordingly, the voice guidancesystem 120 announces “0.5 seconds ahead of fastest lap,” as shown by thecallout marked by numeral 308. At location D, the voice guidance system120 announces the current G-force loading of the car, as shown by thecallout marked by numeral 310. At location E, in a manner similar tolocation C, the voice guidance system 120 identifies the differencebetween a current lap and a previous lap to reach the location E fromthe START location, and announces “0.2 seconds behind last lap,” asshown by the callout marked by numeral 312. Those skilled in the artwould readily appreciate that, in a manner as discussed above, the voiceguidance system 120 may be configured to establish numerous otherguidance using the user interface.

Such voice guidance can be configured to help keep the driver focused onwhat the driver may need to do to improve performance, while driving therace car on the race track, in a manner similar to a coach sitting in aco-passenger seat would prompt the driver. The voice guidance may alsobe established according to the proficiency level of the driver.Further, the voice guidance system 120 stores the location and thestatus information for later review (i.e., a post-run analysis), forexample, by the driver 20 or the driver's coach, which may assist inin-depth analysis of the driver's performance and suggestingimprovements. For example, post-run analyses includes times to achieve0-60 miles per hour, or 0-100 miles per hour, entry speeds in specificsections of the track, exit speed from specific sections of the track,lap times, top speed, split times, brake points, amount of coasting,corner g-force, among several others. Simply stated, any performance oroperational data point collected during the on-track experience may bethe subject of post-run analysis. Such data may be selectably presentedin tables, overlaid upon a track map, and/or accompanied by in-carvideo.

Additionally, when the voice guidance system 120 receives criticaland/or abnormal status information from the race car data system 110,for example, if the coolant temperature is too high, or if the enginepressure is too low, such as that at locations F and G, the voiceguidance system 120 announces such status information to the driver, forexample, as shown by the callouts marked by numerals 314 and 316,respectively. Usually, a race car's data system presents a significantamount of information regarding the car's systems, and at high speeds, adriver may inadvertently ignore an abnormality or critical statusinformation. However, a voice prompt can timely bring the criticality orabnormality to the driver's attention, based on which the driver maytake a corrective action, saving the car from potential damage.

The methods described herein may be implemented in software, hardware,or a combination thereof, in different embodiments. The methods may beincorporated in processor executable instructions stored onnon-transitory computer readable media. In addition, the order ofmethods may be changed, and various elements may be added, reordered,combined, omitted or otherwise modified. All examples described hereinare presented in a non-limiting manner. Various modifications andchanges may be made as would be obvious to a person skilled in the arthaving benefit of this disclosure. Realizations in accordance withembodiments have been described in the context of particularembodiments. These embodiments are meant to be illustrative and notlimiting. Many variations, modifications, additions, and improvementsare possible. Accordingly, plural instances may be provided forcomponents described herein as a single instance. Boundaries betweenvarious components, operations and data stores are somewhat arbitrary,and particular operations are illustrated in the context of specificillustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality areenvisioned and may fall within the scope of claims that follow. Finally,structures and functionality presented as discrete components in theexample configurations may be implemented as a combined structure orcomponent. These and other variations, modifications, additions, andimprovements may fall within the scope of embodiments as defined in theclaims that follow.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention,other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised withoutdeparting from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof isdetermined by the claims that follow.

1. A method for generating voice guidance in a vehicle comprising:identifying a racetrack upon which the vehicle is driving; collectingstatus information regarding performance of a vehicle while driving onthe identified racetrack; processing the status information to generatedriver guidance information; annunciating the driver guidanceinformation as at least one voice prompt to a driver of the vehicle; andstoring the status information for analysis after the race vehicle is nolonger being driven.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing isperformed using artificial intelligence.
 3. The method of claim 1wherein the processing is in accordance with a specific racetrack uponwhich the race vehicle is driving.
 4. The method of claim 1 whereinidentifying the racetrack is provided through a user selectable menu. 5.The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the racetrack is automaticallyprovided through vehicle location detection.
 6. The method of claim 1further comprising selecting at least one guidance option through a userinterface.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the at least one guidanceoption is related to a proficiency level of the driver.
 8. The method ofclaim 6 wherein the at least one voice prompt is related to the at leastone guidance option.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein the voice promptsprovide real-time feedback to the driver.
 10. A system for providingvoice guidance comprising: a processor for collecting status informationregarding performance of a vehicle while driving on an identifiedracetrack and processing the status information to generate driverguidance information; an audio actuator for annunciating the driverguidance information as at least one voice prompt to a driver of thevehicle; and a memory for storing the status information for analysisafter the race vehicle is no longer being driven.
 11. The system ofclaim 10 wherein the processor utilizes artificial intelligence inprocessing the status information.
 12. The system of claim 10 whereinthe processor processes the status information in accordance with aspecific racetrack upon which the race vehicle is driving.
 13. Thesystem of claim 10 further comprising a user interface for displaying auser selectable menu of racetracks.
 14. The system of claim 10 whereinthe racetrack identification is automatically provided through vehiclelocation detection.
 15. The system of claim 10 further comprising a userinterface for selecting at least one guidance option.
 16. The system ofclaim 15 wherein the at least one guidance option is related to aproficiency level of the driver.
 17. The system of claim 15 wherein theat least one voice prompt is related to the at least one guidanceoption.
 18. The system of claim 10 wherein the voice prompts providereal-time feedback to the driver.
 19. A system for providing voiceguidance and data analysis comprising: a processor for collecting statusinformation regarding performance of a vehicle while driving on anidentified racetrack and processing the status information usingartificial intelligence to generate driver guidance information; anaudio actuator for annunciating the driver guidance information as atleast one voice prompt providing real-time feedback to a driver of thevehicle; and a memory for storing the status information for analysisand display to a driver after the race vehicle is no longer beingdriven.
 20. The system of claim 19 further comprising a user interfacefor selecting at least one guidance option, wherein the at least oneguidance option is related to a proficiency level of the driver and theat least one voice prompt is related to the at least one guidanceoption.
 21. Apparatus for providing voice guidance comprising: a voiceguidance system for collecting status information regarding performanceof a vehicle while driving on an identified racetrack and processing thestatus information to generate driver guidance information; an audioactuator for annunciating the driver guidance information as at leastone voice prompt providing real-time feedback to a driver of thevehicle; and an audio bridging adapter coupled between the voiceguidance system and the audio actuator and adapted to connect to atwo-way communications radio whereby a driver hears the at least onevoice prompt as well as communications from the two-way communicationsradio.